Rhea Williams Taylor

April 4, 1922 - May 2, 2020

Rhea Williams Taylor was born April 4, 1922 at home in Cedarville, Idaho to Rolland Burbank Williams and Annie Sophia Jorgensen. She passed away on May 2, 2020 at 98 years of age in Dillon, Montana. She went to school with and married Keith Packer Taylor – June 28, 1940 in the Logan Utah Temple. They were blessed with two children – Beverly (Ron) Morrison – born in Oakland, California September 30, 1942, and Phil (Adele) Taylor – born in Salt Lake City September 30, 1948. Rhea grew up on a farm in Cedarville, Idaho. She lived during the depression, as a young girl, but didn’t notice the effects of it because her parents were very self-sufficient and they never went hungry. When she started school, she went to a log one room schoolhouse about a mile and a half away. She rode a horse to school with her sister and brother. She went to High School in Weston, Idaho five miles away from home. She was a good student. Loved going to dances. Dated and fell in love with a handsome young man named Keith Taylor. After she graduated from High School she got a job as a telephone operator in Preston, Idaho and then she was a nanny in Salt Lake City – earned $20 a month and she thought she was rich. After Keith and Rhea were married they farmed some in Weston, then moved to Alemeda, California for a short time and Keith got a job working in the shipyard helping to build ships. He also took a welding class while there. He earned enough money to buy a farm in Weston, Idaho. He ran the farm a year and was drafted into the Navy during World War II. In 1945 they moved to Malad, Idaho and bought a farm. They bought a farm in Whitehall, Montana in 1949. There was just a shack of a house on the farm and Rhea said, “she felt like we had moved to the end of the earth,” with no indoor plumbing or running water. They lived there 3 ½ years until their new home was built. Sold the ranch in 1959 and moved to Dillon where Keith worked for a while with Herb Wheat as a realtor. Then started his own business called “Keith’s Realty” in 1960. They made a lot of wonderful friends every place they lived and had some great experiences. Rhea was a master seamstress and cook. She loved reading and enjoyed writing in her journal. She always kept a neat orderly home, loved her flowers and worked hard to keep a beautiful garden and yard. She enjoyed going to the horse races with Keith to watch their horses race. In later years her favorite things were making quilts for each one of her grandkids and baby quilts for each new baby, and golfing with Keith, family members, and girlfriends. Her church was the basis for everything that was good and important to her in life. She held many callings and did her best in each one. She was a great example to her children and grandchildren. She and Keith were blessed with 10 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren, and 10 great-great grandchildren. Her siblings are – Gladys, LaVon, Ruby, Herbert, and Vera who were very special to her and who precede her in death. A viewing will be held Thursday May 7, 2020 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM at Brundage Funeral Home. Please remember to wear a mask for both the viewing and graveside service and practice social distancing. Family will have a separate area for both viewing and graveside. When entering the funeral home for the viewing please come through the front door and exit through the side door unless you have special considerations. Guests are limited and you may need to wait outside the funeral home for a short time to accommodate social distancing prior to entering. Graveside services will be held Friday, May 8, 2020 at 1:00 at Mountain View Cemetery. There will be no seating provided for the general public, if you need a chair please bring one or call for assistance.